Door weatherstripping construction



March 29, 1960 E. M. GRIFFITHS DOOR WEATHERSTRIPPING CONSTRUCTION Filed May 5, 1958 United States Patent ice 2,930,086 DOOR WEATHERSTRIPPING CONSTRUCTION Edward M. Griffiths, Taunton, Mass., assignor to National Glass Company, Inc., a corporation of Massachusetts Application May 5, 1958, Serial No. 733,161

3 Claims. (Cl. 20-16) The present invention relates generally to a door construetion, and more particularly to means for effectively and completely weather-stripping the free swinging edge of a hingedly mounted door.

A primary object of the instant invention is the provi sion of Weatherstripping means which is particularly effective for sealing the space between a pair of swinging doors, one of which carries a conventional lock bolt, said Weatherstripping being effective to form a complete seal whether the lock bolt is in locking position or in retracted pos1tion.

Another important object of myinvention is the provision of Weatherstripping means which may be readily and conveniently associated with a conventional lock face plate, and which in no way impair the operation of the lock mechanism per se.

Another object of this invention is the provision of Weatherstripping means in association with a lock face plate whereby the lock mechanism is protected from dust anddirt, but which in no way interferes with the mounting of the face plate in its door edge.

A further object of the instant invention is the provision of Weatherstripping means for the free swinging edge of a hingedly mounted door, which means are simple and economical to manufacture and install, but which nevertheless provide a more complete and effective seal than hitherto accomplished.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated by me for carrying out my invention:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a pair of swinging doors embodying the instant invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective, on an enlarged scale, illustrating the edge of a door having the instant Weatherstripping means associated therewith;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but with the lock face plate removed;

Fig. 4 is a rear perspective, on anenlarged scale, of the lock face plate per se;

Fig. 5 is a front perspective, on an enlarged scale, of the lock face plate per se;

Fig. 6 is a perspective detail of the Weatherstripping per se which is associated with the lock face plate in the instant invention; and

Fig. 7 is a transverse section, on an enlarged scale, of the lock face plate having the Weatherstripping of Fig. 6 mounted therein.

It has been found desirable to provide a weatherstripping arrangement for the free edge of a swinging door whereby said door free edge will be effectively and completely sealed when the door is in closed position, regardless of whether the door lock bolt is in retracted or locking position. More specifically, Where a door is hingedly mounted either by itself within a framed opening or in association with another swinging door, a certain amount of clearance must be provided for the free swinging edge of the door to compensate for expansion resulting from varying atmospheric conditions. Thus, it is important that some sort of Weatherstripping be provided to cover this clearance space when the door is in closed position, and it has been found that the simplest approach to this problem is to provide the Weatherstripping within the door edge. This, of course, is essential where it is desired 'to seal the clearance space between a pair of swinging doors, but where a single door is mounted within a framed opening, it would be possible to provide the Weatherstripping in the frame per se rather than in the door per se. For obvious reasons, however, it is desirable to construct the door with built-in Weatherstripping, and hence the instant invention is directed to such a construction.

The basic problem to be overcome in providing Weatherstripping at the free edge of hte swinging door is the fact that it is difficult to Weatherstrip the lock face plate which is normally mounted in the door edge. Actually, attempts have been made heretofore to extend the Weatherstripping through the lock face plate to a point adjacent opposite edges of the bolt opening. This, of course, would mean that when the door is closed and bolted, the clearance space at the door edge would be completely sealed due to the fact that the bolt itself, when extended in locking position, covers the space that is not sealed by the Weatherstripping per se. However, it there fore follows that when the bolt is retracted, an unsealed i prising rectangular frames 18 and 20, respectively, which frames have mounted therein, by any suitable means, glass panels 22 and 24. The frames 18 and 20 are preferably aluminum extrusions or the like and are hingedly mounted by conventional means (not'shown) at their outer edge portions 26, 28, respectively, to frame 10. Thus, the door inner edges 30, 32 swing into adjacent relationship when the doors are closed, as shown in Fig. -1.

In order to insure proper opening and closing of the doors 14 and 16, and in order to compensate for expansion of the door frames due to varying atmospheric condi tions, the inner door edges 30, 32 are in spaced relation 7 with respect to each other in order to provide a working clearance therebetweem' Although this clearance functions to insure proper and efficient opening and closing of the doors, it at the same time provides a ready access for undesirable drafts, dust and dirt, etc.- Accordingly;

it is desirable to provide Weatherstripping which com pletely and effectively seals this space.

Referring now to Fig. 3, it will be noted that door 14 is provided with a conventional lock bolt 34, movable between the illustrated retracted position and an extended or locking position by operation of a conventional key means 36, it being understood that when said bolt is in extended or locking position, it is received in a suitable bolt opening (not shown) provided in edge 32 of door 16. A lock face plate 38, hereinafter to be described in more detail, surrounds the bolt 34 and is received within recess 40 which is provided in door edge 30 for this purpose. When face plate 38 is in assembled position, it provides a substantially flush continuation of the surface of edge 30. -In order to completely and effectively Weatherstrip the clearance space which exists between doors 14 and 16,

Patented Mar. 29, 19 60 7 vided in the door which carries the lock bolt assembly,

The channels afore referred to comprise a first channel 42 centrally positioned in door edge 30 and extending from the bottom and top edges thereof into communication. with recess 40. Channel 42 is undercut as at 44 (Fig. 3)

to slidably and frictionally receive plastic backing 46 which in turn carries outwardly extending weatherstripping 48 in the form of any suitable pile fabric. As will be obvious, the central portion 48 of the weatherstripping extends outwardly from channel 42 for a slightly greater distance than the spacing which exists between doors l4 and 16, whereupon when the doors are in closed position, the spacing therebetween will be sealed for the extent of the channels 42. As will be readily apparent, however, the Weatherstripping 48 will not seal the space between doors 14 and 16 for the extent of recess 46.

Referring now to Figs. 4- and 5, it will be seen that face plate 38 is provided with a bolt opening 50 through which bolt 34 is adapted to slidably extend. Countersunk mounting holes 52 are provided in plate 38 for receiving screws. 54 which in turn are threadedly received by apertures 56 in frame 18 whereby the said face plate is snugly mounted within recess 4%. In order to complete the seal for the clearance space between doors 14 and 16, and, more specifically, in order to cover the space not sealed by the aforedescribed eatherstripping 48, the face plate 38 is provided with a pair of longitudinally extending channels 58, note Figs. and 7. As will be noted, chan: nels 58 are located one on each side of bolt opening 5 0 intermediate. said opening and the side edges of the face plate, it further being noted that saidchannels extend for the complete length of said plate. Preferably, the channels are arcuate in cross section, as shown most clearly in Fig. 7, for receiving a neoprene or other resilient plastic bead 60 which in turn carries outwardly extending Weatherstripping 62. The plastic bead 60 is mounted in channel 58 by being rolled and forced therein, it being apparent that once so mounted, it will be frictionally maintained due to the channel configuration. The Weatherstripping 62 may be pile fabric similar to that of the aforedescribed eatherstripping 48, and it extends outwardly sufficiently to make frictional engagement with edge 32 of door 16 whereby to effect a seal therewith,

Thus, it will beseen that the complete space between, doors 14 and 16, from top to bottom, is effectively sealed by the instant Weatherstripping arrangement, and this is true regardless of the position of locking bolt 34. Furthermore, there is no possibility of the Weatherstripping 62 interfering with the operation of lock bolt 34. Quite to the contrary, the spaced Weatherstripping portions 62 will function to maintain the lock bolt substantially free from dust, dirt, and other foreign particles, thereby promoting better and easier operation of the lock assembly. In addition, the instant arrangement makes it possible for Weatherstripping 62 to be mounted in face plate 38 prior to the assembly of the latter within recess 40,, it being obvious that such would not be possible where the face plate channel is centrally located. While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except in so far as indicated by the scopeof the'appended claims. For example, although the instant invention has been described'and illustratedin connection with a pair of swinging doors, it will be readily apparent that my novel Weatherstripping arrangement could be utilized just as well where a single door is mounted within a frameway.

I claim:

1. In a hingcdly mounted door having a lock face plate mounted in the free edge thereof and wherein said face plate has a bolt movable between a locking and retracted position, means for completely sealing the door free edge when the door is in closed position, said'sealing means comprising a channel in said door free edge extending centrally and longitudinally from opposite edges of said face plate to the opposite ends of said door edge, an additional pair of channels in said lock face plate, said additional channels extending longitudinally of said face plate one on ,each side of said bolt, and Weatherstripping mounted in all said aforementioned channels whereby said door edge is effectively and completely sealed when the door is closed, whether the bolt is in locking or retracted position.

. -2. In the combination of claim 1-, each of said channels having an undercut, andsaidweatherstripping comprising a resilientbaclting maintained within said channel underat a d? e ssntralpo hn ar e v s ba and extending outwardly therefrom through the said ne a.

3 In combination, afrarneway, a pair of doors hingcdly mountedwithin saidfrarneway with their free swinging edges adjacent to but spaced from each other when said doors are in closed position, one of said doors having a lock face plate on its free swinging edge, a bolt carried by said face plate for movement between a locking and a retracted position, an opening in said other door free edge aligned to receive said bolt when the latter moves to locking position, the combination further comprising means space between said for completely sealing the space between said door edges when the doors are in closed position, said means comprising a channel in saidone door free edge extending centrally and longitudinally from opposite edges of said face plate to the opposite ends of said door edge, an additional pair of channels in said lock face plate, said additional channels extending longitudinally of said face plate one on each side of said bolt, and Weatherstripping mounted in all said aforementioned channels whereby the door edges is effectively and completely sealed when the doors are closed, whether the bolt is in locking or retracted position.

izraenaes can in the file' at this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,799,063 Miller July 16, 1957 2,812,557- -Hauck Nov. 12, 1957 2,824,630 To1man-.. Feb. 25, 1958 

